Kinderdijk River Cruise Excursion Viking vs Riviera Comparison
- Lindsey Markwood
- 5 days ago
- 4 min read
If you are planning a Dutch Waterways river cruise, Kinderdijk is the one UNESCO World Heritage site that absolutely belongs on your bucket list. I had the unique opportunity to visit this iconic landscape twice in one week. I first visited while sailing on the Viking onboard Viking Ve and returned again with Riviera Travel aboard the MS Geoffrey Chaucer. Each experience was different, which I appreciated, and between the two visits I took over 130 photos.
While there are 19 windmills in total, two museum mills are located relatively near the entrance for easy access. Just a note: If you are unable to walk distances, there is a water taxi you can take. On my Viking excursion, we had a miller guide us through the Museummolen. We watched a fascinating demonstration of how the massive canvas sails are unfurled and secured to catch the wind. It was thrilling to watch, though it is definitely not a job for anyone with a fear of heights. The miller will use the lattice, which is the wooden structure that holds the canvas in place, to climb up like a ladder and secure the sail. They will always have at least three points of contact with their body on the lattice to reduce the risk of falling. And I should add that they climb up it amazingly fast. As a bonus at the end of the demonstration, I was selected to help unsecure the sails while standing on the ground so no climbing was necessary for me. And yes, the millers do wear the wooden shoes. The miller shared that they are comfortable after they get worn in and help with all the mud in the area. An interesting note is that they are made by hand.
After the demonstration we toured the inside of the windmill house. It makes it seem like the tiny house people live in today are huge. It is hard to imagine families with up to 13 children living in such a vertical space. The interior steps are incredibly steep, almost like ladders. Having said that, the climb was worth it to see the massive wooden gears churning at the top. Pro Tip: I did climb down backwards to help with balance on the way down. If you have any balance or other concerns, then skip walking up the steps. The other interesting thing to note is that there are two doors on opposite sides of the windmills. This way if the windmill is blocking one of the door entrances, the family can still enter/exit the windmill safely.
There are three ways to explore the windmills.
self-guided tour
guided walk
bike tour
I suggest doing either the bike tour or the guided walk inside one of the museums. Many of the cruise lines offer the bike tour as an excursion option. If you need to use the water shuttle, which is located near the gift shop, note that one of them is reserved only for Viking passengers.
During my second visit, I decided to break away from the group for a solo walk. Because I was visiting during the off-season, the atmosphere was incredibly peaceful and quiet. I loved just watching the windmills go around. There is a small village right by and I walked through it for a bit as well.
Viking vs Riviera for Kinderdijk
While both lines offered the guided tours of Kinderdijk there were a few small differences that I experienced.
· Docking location: Viking was docked across the street from the windmills while Riviera was docked in Rotterdam and we took a short bus ride to get here.
· Guides: Both local guides were wonderful
· Bike tour: Viking offered both a bike and regular walking tour while Riviera only offered our group the walking tour. It is worth noting that Riviera had not brough on all their bikes yet when we cruised as we were a few weeks away from the spring season officially starting.
· Further introduction: Riviera had us watch an informative movie giving the history of the windmills prior to us visiting the museum. After the museum we went into a workshop where we were given a more detailed live demonstration of both the windmill construction and wooden shoes.
The weather also changed the atmosphere. The fog on my first visit added a moody, historic feel to the landscape that made the 18th century mills look like a painting. And yes the fog did burn off within a few hours. During my second visit, it was sunny and blue skies from the time we got there to the time we left. I really appreciated having two different vibes to the same place.
If during your time in the Netherlands, you have not had the famous apple cake, then I highly suggest trying it here. It is delicious. And it also serves as a ticket so you can use the restroom on site if you need to.
